diff --git a/src/controller/config_repl.c b/src/controller/config_repl.c
index 224a79f6..c5beefd6 100644
--- a/src/controller/config_repl.c
+++ b/src/controller/config_repl.c
@@ -2851,8 +2851,13 @@ typedef struct {
  * same kind of follow-up audit, out of scope for this fix (bug-1451,
  * buglog.json).  Compiled in ALL builds; the setter is the test seam to
  * flip RED<->GREEN.
+ *
+ * bug-1451 follow-up (2026-09-27): now ON by default. The fixture hang above
+ * is avoided by running inline whenever the slow lane was never started
+ * (slowlane_is_started), which is exactly those lightweight fixtures;
+ * production always starts the lane.
  */
-static _Atomic int g_drive_async_catchup_offload = 0;
+static _Atomic int g_drive_async_catchup_offload = 1;
 
 void ha_set_catchup_offload_for_test(int on)
 {
@@ -2951,10 +2956,12 @@ int ha_catchup_continuation_fn(void *arg)
     cluster_t *c        = ctx->c;
     int        peer_idx = ctx->peer_idx;
 
-    if (!ha_catchup_offload_enabled()) {
-        /* Legacy inline path (flag OFF) — blocks the calling (delaymgr)
-         * thread.  Retained solely so the RED test can show the pre-change
-         * stall; production runs with the flag ON. */
+    if (!ha_catchup_offload_enabled() || !slowlane_is_started(&c->slowlane)) {
+        /* Inline path -- blocks the calling (delaymgr) thread. Taken with
+         * the flag OFF (kept so the RED test can show the pre-change stall)
+         * or when the slow lane was never started (lightweight fixtures):
+         * work submitted there would never run and the standby would never
+         * be caught up (bug-1451). */
         catchup_lane_fn(ctx);
         return 0;
     }
diff --git a/src/controller/ha_convergence.c b/src/controller/ha_convergence.c
index f29f4b68..882a3285 100644
--- a/src/controller/ha_convergence.c
+++ b/src/controller/ha_convergence.c
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ typedef struct {
  * delaymgr thread that also drives heartbeats/election timeouts cluster-wide
  * never blocks on the truncation I/O or the tlog_exit()+execv() inside
  * ha_self_restart) or runs it INLINE on the calling (delaymgr) thread (OFF,
- * the PRODUCTION DEFAULT for now — see below).  This is the SAME established
+ * formerly the production default -- see below).  This is the SAME established
  * slow-lane pattern already used for snapshot send
  * (ha_snapshot_send_dispatch/snapshot_lane_fn), config-push
  * (ha_config_push_offloadable/configpush_lane_fn), and peer connect
@@ -232,8 +232,13 @@ typedef struct {
  * the cluster-wide default to ON is the same kind of follow-up audit, out of
  * scope for this fix (bug-1450, buglog.json).  Compiled in ALL builds; the
  * setter is the test seam to flip RED<->GREEN.
+ *
+ * bug-1450 follow-up (2026-09-27): now ON by default. The fixture hang above
+ * is avoided by running inline whenever the slow lane was never started
+ * (slowlane_is_started), which is exactly those lightweight fixtures;
+ * production always starts the lane.
  */
-static _Atomic int g_drive_async_demotion_offload = 0;
+static _Atomic int g_drive_async_demotion_offload = 1;
 
 void ha_set_demotion_offload_for_test(int on)
 {
@@ -335,10 +340,12 @@ int ha_demotion_convergence_fn(void *arg)
     }
     cluster_t *c = ctx->c;
 
-    if (!ha_demotion_offload_enabled()) {
-        /* Legacy inline path (flag OFF) — blocks the calling (delaymgr)
-         * thread.  Retained solely so the RED test can show the pre-change
-         * stall; production runs with the flag ON. */
+    if (!ha_demotion_offload_enabled() || !slowlane_is_started(&c->slowlane)) {
+        /* Inline path -- blocks the calling (delaymgr) thread. Taken with
+         * the flag OFF (kept so the RED test can show the pre-change stall)
+         * or when the slow lane was never started (lightweight fixtures):
+         * work submitted there would never run, and this one-shot safety
+         * action must never be dropped (bug-1450). */
         int rc = ha_demotion_convergence_do_run(c);
         free(ctx);
         return rc;
diff --git a/src/controller/include/slowlane.h b/src/controller/include/slowlane.h
index 4c3c56d4..f2ab3d6e 100644
--- a/src/controller/include/slowlane.h
+++ b/src/controller/include/slowlane.h
@@ -88,6 +88,12 @@ int  slowlane_init(slowlane_t *sl, int n_workers, int max_inflight);
  */
 int  slowlane_submit(slowlane_t *sl, uint64_t key, slowlane_fn_t fn, void *arg);
 
+/* Non-zero once slowlane_init() has started worker threads (and before
+ * slowlane_fini()). A submit to a lane that was never started is queued but
+ * never runs; callers that must not drop work fall back to running it inline
+ * (bug-1450/1451). */
+int  slowlane_is_started(slowlane_t *sl);
+
 /*
  * Drain the pending queue, stop and join all workers.  Shutdown only.
  * After return the lane is dormant; re-init to reuse.
diff --git a/src/controller/slowlane.c b/src/controller/slowlane.c
index 635348ec..298923ad 100644
--- a/src/controller/slowlane.c
+++ b/src/controller/slowlane.c
@@ -170,6 +170,18 @@ int slowlane_init(slowlane_t *sl, int n_workers, int max_inflight)
     return 0;
 }
 
+int slowlane_is_started(slowlane_t *sl)
+{
+    int started;
+
+    if (sl == NULL)
+        return 0;
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&sl->lock);
+    started = (sl->started > 0) && !sl->stopping;
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&sl->lock);
+    return started;
+}
+
 int slowlane_submit(slowlane_t *sl, uint64_t key, slowlane_fn_t fn, void *arg)
 {
     if (sl == NULL || fn == NULL)
diff --git a/src/controller/testsuite/test_config_repl.c b/src/controller/testsuite/test_config_repl.c
index 79ffd502..6a6f509d 100644
--- a/src/controller/testsuite/test_config_repl.c
+++ b/src/controller/testsuite/test_config_repl.c
@@ -7071,8 +7071,11 @@ static int cc_poll_flag(_Atomic int *flag, int timeout_ms)
     return atomic_load(flag);
 }
 
-static void cc_run_offload_probe(int offload_on, const char *label)
+static void cc_run_offload_probe_ex(int offload_on, int start_lane,
+                                    const char *label)
 {
+    int saved_offload = ha_catchup_offload_enabled();
+
     char tmpdir[256];
     snprintf(tmpdir, sizeof(tmpdir), "/tmp/xce_cc_%s_XXXXXX",
              offload_on ? "on" : "off");
@@ -7103,7 +7106,8 @@ static void cc_run_offload_probe(int offload_on, const char *label)
         .max_promotion_retries    = 5,
     };
     TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_INT(0, ha_init(&c.ha, &hcfg, 0));
-    TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_INT(0, slowlane_init(&c.slowlane, 2, 4));
+    if (start_lane)
+        TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_INT(0, slowlane_init(&c.slowlane, 2, 4));
     TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_INT(0, delaymgr_init(&c.delaymgr, 5, cc_run_delay_task));
     TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_INT(0, delaymgr_start(&c.delaymgr));
 
@@ -7126,7 +7130,7 @@ static void cc_run_offload_probe(int offload_on, const char *label)
     TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_INT(0,
         delay_task_ms(&c.delaymgr, 1, 1, cc_probe_fn, &probe));
 
-    if (offload_on) {
+    if (offload_on && start_lane) {
         TEST_ASSERT_TRUE_MESSAGE(cc_poll_flag(&probe.fired, 1000),
             "GREEN: with catch-up offloaded to the slow lane, the delaymgr "
             "worker thread must be free to run the NEXT queued task "
@@ -7154,11 +7158,12 @@ static void cc_run_offload_probe(int offload_on, const char *label)
         "the probe task must eventually fire once the gate is released");
 
     ha_repl_stream_wal_hook = NULL;
-    ha_set_catchup_offload_for_test(0);   /* restore production default */
+    ha_set_catchup_offload_for_test(saved_offload);
     cc_gate_destroy(&g_cc_gate);
     delaymgr_stop(&c.delaymgr);
     delaymgr_fini(&c.delaymgr);
-    slowlane_fini(&c.slowlane);
+    if (start_lane)
+        slowlane_fini(&c.slowlane);
     ha_fini(&c.ha);
     persist_stop(&c.persist);
     persist_fini(&c.persist);
@@ -7166,6 +7171,21 @@ static void cc_run_offload_probe(int offload_on, const char *label)
     printf("%s: PASS\n", label);
 }
 
+static void cc_run_offload_probe(int offload_on, const char *label)
+{
+    cc_run_offload_probe_ex(offload_on, /*start_lane=*/1, label);
+}
+
+/* bug-1451: with the offload ON (now the production default) and a slow
+ * lane that was never started -- the lightweight fixtures that made the
+ * offload hang when it was first flipped ON -- the catch-up body must still
+ * run (inline), never sit forever in a lane with no workers. */
+static void test_catchup_offload_without_started_lane_runs_inline(void)
+{
+    cc_run_offload_probe_ex(1, /*start_lane=*/0,
+                            "test_catchup_offload_without_started_lane_runs_inline");
+}
+
 static void test_catchup_offload_probe_runs_promptly(void)
 {
     cc_run_offload_probe(1, "test_catchup_offload_probe_runs_promptly");
@@ -7556,6 +7576,7 @@ void test_config_repl(void)
     /* xce-audit-invariants controller pass, thread-role violation 2 fix
      * (2026-07-18): catch-up continuation slow-lane offload */
     RUN_TEST(test_catchup_offload_probe_runs_promptly);
+    RUN_TEST(test_catchup_offload_without_started_lane_runs_inline);
     RUN_TEST(test_catchup_inline_probe_blocks_RED);
     /* bug-1476: concurrent load_primary_config() UAF/double-free race */
     RUN_TEST(test_bug1476_concurrent_load_primary_config_no_uaf_or_double_free);
diff --git a/src/controller/testsuite/test_demotion_convergence.c b/src/controller/testsuite/test_demotion_convergence.c
index 41bb39f5..ad56fe56 100644
--- a/src/controller/testsuite/test_demotion_convergence.c
+++ b/src/controller/testsuite/test_demotion_convergence.c
@@ -926,6 +926,8 @@ static void *dcb_run_thread(void *p)
 
 static void dcb_run_offload(int offload_on, const char *label)
 {
+    int saved_offload = ha_demotion_offload_enabled();
+
     dc_setup("blocking", /*n_peers=*/3, /*n_standbys=*/2,
              /*appended_lsn=*/5, /*n_vcpus=*/8);
     atomic_store(&g_dc.persist.committed_lsn, 3);
@@ -979,7 +981,7 @@ static void dcb_run_offload(int offload_on, const char *label)
     /* Let the async completion (offload ON) finish before teardown. */
     dc_poll_restart_calls(1, 2000);
 
-    ha_set_demotion_offload_for_test(0);   /* restore production default */
+    ha_set_demotion_offload_for_test(saved_offload);
     dcb_gate_destroy(&g_dcb_gate);
     dc_teardown();
     printf("%s: PASS\n", label);